Went out for groceries late morning and realized it was a “sunny-16” day here…atmosphere was totally clean from rain last night, bright sun & clear blue skies. Put the groceries away, grabbed some gear and headed out into the country.

Its funny how threads ebb & flow...I simply used the time honored expression "sunny-16" to describe the beautiful clear, bright sunny day it seemed to be...in reality, most sayings like that are really just rules-of-thumb as starting points...(kind of like "F8 and don't be late").

But I'll play...how would sensor size change the intent & purpose of such a well established rule-of-thumb ?

I haven't seen / read anything about any shutter speed / aperture / ISO setting offsets I am supposed to be using on my NEX-7 compared to film days using my Canon A1's and FD lenses...just because it has a larger sensor.

Seems to me if sensor size causes an offset to the "sunny-16" rule...then it would follow that sensor size would routinely cause an offset to all selections of shutter / aperture / ISO...not just those related to the "sunny-16" rule-of-thumb.

Its funny how threads ebb & flow...I simply used the time honored expression "sunny-16" to describe the beautiful clear, bright sunny day it seemed to be...in reality, most sayings like that are really just rules-of-thumb as starting points...(kind of like "F8 and don't be late").

But I'll play...how would sensor size change the intent & purpose of such a well established rule-of-thumb ?

I haven't seen / read anything about any shutter speed / aperture / ISO setting offsets I am supposed to be using on my NEX-7 compared to film days using my Canon A1's and FD lenses...just because it has a larger sensor.

Seems to me if sensor size causes an offset to the "sunny-16" rule...then it would follow that sensor size would routinely cause an offset to all selections of shutter / aperture / ISO...not just those related to the "sunny-16" rule-of-thumb.

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Well sensor size matters because many camera lens combinations won't even allow you to go to F16 because of diffraction. My Canon SX 50 wont even accept an aperture above F8. and on most APS-C, diffraction sets in well before F16. Also on digital camera's the ISO settings vary from camera to camera, so it's not like the same film is being used in different cameras. In digital cameras, the sensitivity doesn't change, the amplification of the signal does. Manufacturers will use different algorithms for metering. This is the reason DXO reports on their own ISO measurements vs what the camera reports.

For the record. Roundball, you are far more experienced than I am, so if I am missing something, please feel free to correct me. I am merely parroting what I've read as I grasp this photography thing. I asked the question because I really didn't understand how the rule applied in the digital age. I wasn't trying to counter anything you said. I figured the responses would help me.

Oh I don't care that the thread went in this direction...was just making the observation...and I wasnt challenging anyones comments.
The issue of possible variations in different manufacturers ISO actuals, is a separate discussion.
My interest is in finding a link or something to an official source that answers this question I posed above:

".....I haven't seen / read anything about any shutter speed / aperture / ISO setting offsets I am supposed to be using on my NEX-7 compared to film days using my Canon A1's and FD lenses...just because it has a larger sensor.
Seems to me if sensor size causes an offset to the "sunny-16" rule...then it would follow that sensor size would routinely cause an offset to all selections of shutter / aperture / ISO...not just those related to the "sunny-16" rule-of-thumb....."

I often use 11, 16, 22 on my Canon FD lenses with my NEX-7 ( as I did for the landscape shots above) and haven't noticed anything unusual...maybe there's a problem there and I'm just oblivious to it?
What does diffraction look like? Is it in my photos above?
Seems like there should be an official source somewhere that addresses / answers the question I posed...

Oh I don't care that the thread went in this direction...was just making the observation...and I wasnt challenging anyones comments...I really would like a link or something to an official source that answers this question I posed above:

".....I haven't seen / read anything about any shutter speed / aperture / ISO setting offsets I am supposed to be using on my NEX-7 compared to film days using my Canon A1's and FD lenses...just because it has a larger sensor.

Seems to me if sensor size causes an offset to the "sunny-16" rule...then it would follow that sensor size would routinely cause an offset to all selections of shutter / aperture / ISO...not just those related to the "sunny-16" rule-of-thumb....."

I often use 11, 16, 22 on my Canon FD lenses with my NEX-7 ( as I did for the landscape shots above) and haven't noticed anything unusual...maybe there's a problem there and I'm just oblivious to it...dunno...but there should still be an official source somewhere that answers the question I posed.

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Basically "safe" shutter speed depends about field of view so shutter speed<1/mm doesn't work anymore (in practice it is enough but time should be divided by 1.5).

Diffraction does reduce resolution somewhat but it isn't too big a problem for me either.

Basically "safe" shutter speed depends about field of view so shutter speed<1/mm doesn't work anymore (in practice it is enough but time should be divided by 1.5).
Diffraction does reduce resolution somewhat but it isn't too big a problem for me either.

Click to expand...

My apologies for my ignorance, but I don't have a clue what the statement in red means.

My apologies for my ignorance, but I don't have a clue what the statement in red means.

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In the old days with film the rule was to keep shutter speed faster than inverse of focal length. 50mm 1/60s or faster, 28mm 1/30 s or faster etc.. Now it should be 50mm 1/75 or faster and 28mm 1/50 or faster.

In the old days with film the rule was to keep shutter speed faster than inverse of focal length. 50mm 1/60s or faster, 28mm 1/30 s or faster etc.. Now it should be 50mm 1/75 or faster and 28mm 1/50 or faster.

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I better understand what you're saying...But...two things come to mind:

1) That all doesn't sound like much of a difference...I can't imagine looking at a photo and thinking "yup...that photo should have been taken with 1/75 instead of 1/50"

2) Is this all spelled out in some official Sony documentation somewhere?

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